The Latest: Judges block new North Carolina elections law

By Associated Press | April 28, 2017 at 10:41 amUPDATED: April 28, 2017 at 3:07 pm

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on North Carolina governor’s court challenge to law cutting his elections oversight authority (all times local):

5:50 p.m.

A panel of North Carolina judges is temporarily blocking enforcement of a new law approved by Republicans that would reduce the Democratic governor’s authority over state and local elections.

A majority on the three-judge panel agreed late Friday that the law set to take effect early next week should be set aside for now while Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and GOP legislators make further legal arguments.

The order agreed Cooper is likely to suffer irreparable harm if the law is enacted. Cooper says the law is unconstitutional in removing his power to administer elections.

The law passed and later amended by the General Assembly divides state and county elections boards between Democrats and Republicans. In the past a majority of seats belonged to the sitting governor’s party.

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1:40 p.m.

A panel of state judges must now resolve a legal fight over a new effort by North Carolina Republican legislators to restrict the Democratic governor’s oversight of state and local elections.

Lawyers for Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders argued Friday before a panel of three trial judges deciding whether to block the changes temporarily.

A law passed and later amended by the Republican-dominated General Assembly dilutes Cooper’s authority over members of the statewide elections board and those in all 100 counties. Lawmakers this week overrode Cooper’s veto of the amended law.

GOP legislators now want to divide elections boards equally between Democrats and Republicans. The law lets Cooper pick the elections boards from lists provided by the two major parties.

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5:40 a.m.

Judges are hearing whether North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers are acting constitutionally as they again seek to neuter the new Democratic governor’s oversight of state and local elections.

Lawyers for Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders are due back in court Friday.

A panel of three state trial judges will review a new law that takes away Cooper’s authority over members of the statewide elections board and those in all 100 counties. Governors have picked election board majorities for more than a century.

GOP legislators now want to divide elections boards equally between Democrats and Republicans.

The judicial panel struck down an earlier version of the law. Legislative leaders say this version meets judicial guidelines by letting Cooper pick from lists provided by the two major parties.